ETSU Black Lives Matter: Taunted by Albino Gorilla, Bananas, Rope

• Report rights infringement
• published: 29 Sep 2016
• views: 23505

Tristan John Rettke, former high school lacrosse player from the wealthy Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, TN, taunts peaceful demonstration in support of Black Lives Matter. An East Tennessee State University student was charged by police after he disrupted a Black Lives Matter event on campus by wearing a gorilla mask, carrying around a rope and trying to hand out bananas. A Johnson City Police Department report said Tristan Rettke is charged with one count of civil rights intimidation in connection with the event that took place at Borchuck Plaza. Eyewitnesses including the East Tennessean, the university's newspaper, took digital photos and filmed video of Rettke's actions, which including him walking up to protestors with a burlap sack that had a marijuana leaf and a Confederate flag printed on it. The report said after his rights were read Rettke said he found out about the protest on the social media platform Yik Yak. Rettke told officers that he went to the store on Tuesday and purchased the rope, bananas and the gorilla mask. The suspect then stated he went to the protest with no shoes on with coveralls "in attempt to provoke the protestors." ETSU officials put out a statement saying they were outraged by Rettke's actions at the protest. http://www.wcyb.com/news/tennessee/johnson-city/etsu-student-charged-with-intimidation-for-gorilla-mask-act-at-black-lives-matter-protest/99584563